I got started by catching my major dream sign-the false awakening. I still rely quite a bit on catching FAs to this day.

To create a dream sign, you simply think about the dream sign relentlessly as you fall asleep, so relentlessly that you dream about it. I've gotten this to work with the "I'm dreaming" mantra and with staring at the back of my eyelids. I'm new to this but I've had enough success with it that it's reliable for me.